After qualifying in their respective state finals, Cooper McClain, David Jones and Cody Lansing are heading to the 12th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Lebanon, Tennessee, from June 19-25.
McClain, 13 of Cortez and a member of the Ute Mountain Rodeo team, finished third in bull riding at the Colorado Junior High Rodeo Association State Finals in Lamar on May 30 to punch his ticket to the big show.
Leading up to the Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo last week, McClain presented to groups at the Cortez Public Library, showing off his roping skills and explaining bull riding.
To prepare for the national finals, McClain is working with Bo Pitman of Mancos on Jersey steers, as well as practicing at home on his Mighty Bucky, a mechanical bull-riding simulator.
Fellow Ute Mountain Rodeo teammate, Jones, will join McClain on the national stage.
After competing for just half the year last season, Jones, 13 of Dolores, is in his first full rodeo season. He advances to nationals after finishing fourth place in tie-down roping at the Colorado Junior High Rodeo Association State Finals and is working with Kyle Polish to prepare for his first run in Tennessee on Tuesday.
He and McClain will represent the junior high division of the Colorado State High School Rodeo Association.
Cody Lansing, an eighth-grader at Cortez Middle School, has also earned a spot at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo, but he will represent the Arizona High School Rodeo Association’s junior high division.
Lansing will be competing in two different events after placing second in team roping and sixth in ribbon roping at the Arizona Junior High State Finals in Prescott, Arizona on April 29.
The National Junior High Finals Rodeo will feature nearly 1,000 contestants from 43 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia, and is the world’s largest junior high rodeo.
In addition to competing for more than $75,000 in prizes, McClain, Jones and Lansing will compete for more than $100,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named a National Junior High Finals Rodeo National Champion.
To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 – based on their combined times/scores in the first two rounds – to advance to Saturday evening’s final round. National champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times and scores.
Again, this year, the Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV.
Live broadcasts of each NJHFR performance will also air online at NHSRATV.com. Performance times are 7 p.m. on June 19, and 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day thereafter.
To follow McClain, Jones and Lansing at the NJHFR, visit NHSRA.org daily for complete results. For ticket information and reservations, visit wilsoncountyexpo.com.